Making Up Is Hard To Do
by Feigningintrest
Summary: The rumors of what Scorpius does on prefect patrols has Rose unable to forgive him. He needs to find a way to show her the truth.


When a deep injury is done us, we never recover until we forgive.  
Alan Paton

"Rose, are you still pouting over this?" Lilly Potter asked as they sat in the Library after classes one evening. "You have to let it go."

Rose's curly brown ponytail bounced as she shook her head. "I'm not pouting Lilly, there is nothing to pout over." Rose told her in a hushed voice. "Can we just keep looking for the levels of Dragon Blood potency so we can finish this essay?"

"You just want to be out of here before Scorpius gets here..." Lilly complained under her breath as she pulled the book back to her.

"If you mention Scorpius Malfoy one more time they will need the entire team at St. Mungo's to reverse the hexes I will send your way." Rose's voice was louder than she had intended, and as a result several heads turned in her direction. She turned a brilliant shade of red and buried her face in her hands.

"I am of the opinion that Red just is not your colour… I suppose it _was_ better that you were sorted into Ravenclaw." The voice was not Lilly's, nor was it one she wanted to hear at the moment. As she peered over her finger tips, she found herself staring into familiar sapphire blue eyes and turning an even deeper scarlet.

"When did you get here?" Rose asked, her voice muffled by her hands.

"I have been here long enough to know the mention of my name is making you violent." He smirked as he slid into the chair next to her, "I suppose asking if we could talk is out of the question then?"

"Oh wow, look at the time!" Lilly interrupted, "I completely forgot that I was supposed to meet Professor Longbottom to go over his last essay." She stood abruptly, rushing to pull her books to her chest and disappearing from the library in a flash.

Rose watched helplessly as her friend left her stranded with Scorpius, who was staring at her expectantly. "You know that it is out of the question. There is nothing that needs to be said, and I've an essay to finish." She broke his gaze, dropping her eyes down to the parchment in front of her and pretending to re-read the paragraph she'd just completed.

"Please, Rose. You have to know by now that I'm sorry. It was never supposed to be like this. Just look at me... please." He begged. The plea caught her attention for only a moment, because it was something she was sure was beneath his upbringing.

Though the comment surprised her, she didn't even look up as she retorted, "You are only sorry that you got caught, Scorpius Malfoy. I really should have known better than to trust a Slytherin."

"Our parents fought a war to remove those stereotypes." He defended.

"Yes they did! And look it took you only one night of patrolling with Stella Zabini to put them right back into place! You should be so proud of your influence!" Rose yelled, slamming her book shut and shoving her things into her bag. "I cannot believe that you thought I would just tell you that there was nothing wrong with what you did. Just stay away from me MALFOY!" Rose spun on her heel and stormed from the library before he had a chance to recover from his shock.

Rose abandoned her books outside of the portrait to Ravenclaw Tower. She had no patience for answering riddles. Surely another student would recognize her bag and bring it in with them.

Rose stalked out onto the grounds, making her way to the Game Keeper's hut and into the Forbidden Forest. She remembered the stories of her parents days here at Hogwarts. She knew that as long as you stayed near the edges and didn't make too much of a fuss, your visit could go undisturbed by those that dwelled within the forest. With those pieces of information in mind she noxed the light at the end of her wand and moved slowly into the trees towards a fallen trunk where she liked to sit.

She had been here several times the last few months, especially once the news of her then boyfriend's dalliance with a 6th year Slytherin prefect began to circulate. It was quiet here, and other than occasional warm breath from a passing Thestral or the sound of Centaur hooves cracking twigs and foliage, it was quite placid.

The solitude and peace of the forest allowed her mind time to wander over the events that lead her here yet again. The unmitigated gall that he had to approach her, even after she had explicitly told him to leave her be! The nerve of him to expect her to just forgive him though he broke the promise he had made to wait until she was ready. Not to mention the fact he had so casually decided that he would rather just get the whole problem 'dealt' with, and with that pug faced girl Stella no less.

Each memory that flooded back to her resulted in a new wave of tears and sobs. She had defended him to her father over summer break; and told him that even though Mr. Malfoy had been unkind and harsh throughout their days at Hogwarts, he had raised Scorpius to respect intelligence and bravery over blood status. She had promised her mother she would not let her studies slip just because of a boy, and here now here she sat on a fallen tree stump when she had an essay due in the morning that she'd only barely begun. Everyone else had been right, and she had been wrong, and it hurt more than she ever imagined.

She set her jaw and forced herself to halt the flow of tears when she noticed that the darkness around her had begun to unsettle her. It was late and if she didn't get back into the castle soon Filtch would be positively gleeful at the chance to drag her back to the Tower, threatening and mumbling about how they shouldn't be admitting any more Weasleys, especially after her Uncles Fred and George. Rose pulled herself up from the tree and whispered "Lumos," her wand held out before her as she made her way back.

She managed to go unnoticed as she slipped through the front doors and tiptoed up the stairs. It wasn't until she turned the last corner to Ravenclaw Tower that she realised she was not alone in her little late night journey. Just to the side of the portrait there was a figure and a candle. The small candle floating in mid air, while the figure sat with his knees pulled up to his chest as his head rested on the stone behind it, his eyes turned to the ceiling. His pose embodied her favourite parts of him; strong but unthreatening, pensive and just sullen enough to be endearing. He was in a word breathtaking, and Rose drew in a deep breath to make sure she still could. The sound broke his reverie and he stood abruptly to look over at her.

"Rose, where have you been? I have been scouring the whole castle for you! Lilly said you didn't turn up at Gryffindor Tower, and when I got here your things were just dropped here. I was beside myself." The plea for forgiveness he had finally managed to perfect in his mind vanished the instant he realized she was not safe.

Rose went on the defensive immediately. He should know that he had no right to demand her whereabouts. "It just so happens that it is none of your concern where I was. Just because Lilly did not see me does not mean I disappeared. Not to mention the fact that there are plenty of other people in this castle who rather enjoy my company." She folded her arms and turned up her nose, hoping he wouldn't see the trails of makeup running down her cheeks.

"Really, so your idea of enjoyment is being brought to tears?" He asked sarcastically.

"Again, that is really none of your concern." She huffed.

He stepped closer to her. She was tall enough that he didn't tower above her, but he was marginally taller and had to look down to see into her bright eyes. He loved them, because they had always reminded him of the sky on a clear day. Today they were darkened by storm clouds, faded with her tears. "It is my concern. I never want to see you cry. I know that I've been the cause of more tears than I'll ever be able to make up for, and it's my concern that I may never be able to prove to you that they were not necessary."

Rose couldn't answer, once more tears were welling and spilling against her will.

"Just come with me... Give me one chance to prove to you that I did not break the promise I made to you." He asked, his hands resting lightly on her shoulders.

"I don't want to think about that day ever again. I'll never forgive myself for trusting you or believing that you could be patient." She cried.

"Rose, I was patient. I did not do what you've been lead to believe." He told her urgently.

"I heard her myself, bragging to her vapid little friends! 'Everything we all expected... and more.' 'Thank Merlin I got to him before that Ravenclaw mudblood could ruin him.' 'Just because her filthy mother could convince a Weasley to dirty himself, certainly she can't believe a Malfoy would sink so low.' Scorpius, my mother was aptly named the brightest witch of her age. Do you really believe I could be so stupid as not to find out?" She explained through sobs and tears.

"I have only been able to think of one way to show you that she's been lying to the entire school. Just give me the chance to show you exactly what happened." He took her hand and she savoured the warmth for a moment before she attempted to pull it back. He only held her hand tighter and started to walk backwards, pulling her along with him, the candle following their progress down the halls. When he was certain that she would continue to follow he loosened his hold on her hand, but she did not pull it back as he had expected. "Rose you have to understand, I did make a mistake, but I did not do what you think I did."

"What do you mean?" She whispered.

"You shall see it soon... I would rather not repeat it." He answered ashamed.

Before she was aware that they had gone so far, he stopped before a long empty span of wall on the seventh floor. Rose had heard of this room, but she had never thought to seek it out. The Room of Requirement, Uncle Harry had told her about it amongst one of their talks about Hogwarts. She stared at the blank wall and imagined all the rooms that she could possibly want... a private bathroom akin to the prefects bath, though without that ridiculous mermaid, or even a dormitory room that she could have all to herself with an oversized down bed and dozens of pillows, and no roommates with snores that disrupted her sleep. She watched Scorpius pace the hall three times and then a door appeared where there had only been stone. She followed him through it her mouth agape with wonder.

Once inside the room a whole new sense of wonder swept over her. There was a pensieve set on a low table in the centre of the room surrounded by blue and green cushions, and she watched as the candle that had followed them floated up to join a cluster of new candles that hovered above the table.

"Rose, I will not lie to you. This will not be easy for you to see. I need you to know I truly am sorry for it all, but you need to know the whole truth, and this," he motioned to the pensieve and a small glass vial with a silvery liquid that swirled inside, "is the only way to prove it." She took a few cautious steps toward the pensieve and then looked back at him.

"Then show me." She said, picking up the vial and handing it to him. He tried to touch her cheek but she turned away. "This isn't forgiveness. I'm sick of the rumours, and I want to know what really happened. I deserve that much."

"You deserve so much better than me." He agreed, hanging his head. Before he lost his nerve, he pulled the stopper and turned the vial over the pensieve. When the vial had emptied, he lowered his face to the liquid and disappeared below the surface. Rose hesitated for a moment, staring at the swirling silver. She shuddered at the thought of what she was about to see, and had to fight back the tears again before she too lowered her face to the surface. The spinning sensation caught her off guard as she entered the memory, but before she could be uncomfortable it was over and she found herself beside Scorpius in a dungeon corridor.

"Is this where it happened?" she asked softly.

He nodded tightly, as if it pained him to even be here again.

Then they heard the echo of multiple footsteps in the empty corridor as two people descended the stairs. One was the fast and steady cadence of a boy's dress shoes, and the other a quick and uneven staccato of a girl's heels, obviously attempting to keep up. Rose knew immediately who was approaching. Stella Zabini was the only student who insisted on wearing ridiculously high heeled Mary-Jane shoes in a castle with so many stairs.

"Scorpius. SLOW! DOWN!" Stella's voice chided as Scorpius turned the corner a second before her.

"Patrol is done Stella. I have things that require my attention, not to mention my essay for potions that must be completed, or know that I shall never hear the end of it." Scorpius called over his shoulder.

Stella reached out a thin, manicured hand and grabbed his arm, which startled Scorpius as he turned back to glance at her. "You have rushed our patrol all night, while you take three times as long when you patrol with Rose. Maybe you aren't as innocent as we all thought you were." Stella cooed as she wriggled herself closer to him.

Scorpius tried to back away from her, but she matched his steps until his back was pressed against the stone wall opposite where the present time Rose and Scorpius stood. When Rose turned to look at him, his face was buried in his hands, so she turned back to the memory before her, not entirely sure she wanted to watch. Scorpius struggled to pry Stella's fingers from his robes, "I am exactly as innocent as everyone believes, Stella. You need to remove your unwanted hands, now."

"Come on Scorp, you cannot tell me this whole wait 'til it's right bit doesn't make you just the teensiest bit frustrated…?" She whispered into his ear, pressing her ample and scantily clad chest to his while reaching up to stroke his face.

"Whether it is or it is not, your opinion matters not to me." He answered shortly, trying to slide away from her.

"Well, obviously I've done something right," She giggled, pressing her hips into him and pinning him further against the wall. "I can help you with your, not so little, problem. Your dirty blooded girlfriend need never know." She ran her fingers down his chest and reached the buckle of his belt before he jumped ever-so-slightly, grabbing her wrist while shoving her across the corridor and pushing her up against the wall. "Mmmm, how did you know I liked it rou.." Her croon was cut off by Scorpius's hand over her mouth.

"Don't EVER call her dirty blooded again! She certainly has more right than you to call herself pure." He exclaimed as he glared fiercely into Stella's onyx black eyes. She squirmed a little when he pulled his hand from her mouth, but quickly reached for his tie and yanked his face down, locking her lips on his. Rose made an audible sound of pain, and flinched when Scorpius's hand touched her shoulder.

She watched in agony as Scorpius didn't pull himself away and merely stood there stock-still. And when he did move it was to put his hands on either side of Stella's face and hold her to him. Rose nearly ran off in tears, but Scorpius kept his hand on her shoulder. Then Scorpius even leaned into Stella, but when she started to bring her leg slowly up the side of his, he froze once more. He dropped his hand to her knee, and instead of taking hold of her thigh, he pushed it down forcibly as he pulled himself free of her. "That will have to suffice for you. I will never touch you again." With that he disappeared down the corridor, and the memory ended.

She landed on a deep green cushion next to Scorpius, and did not even bother to hold back the tears this time. Her cheeks and eyes burned as she stared silently at him, her emotions fluctuating wildly between fury and pain. "Why?" was all she managed, her voice barely audible and unbearably shaky.

"It was a reaction. I did not expect or intend for it to happen." He defended.

"No, I suppose you didn't. But not once have you ever 'reacted' to me that way." She said with her eyes on her hands, wringing them in desperation and despondency.

"Are you serious? Rose, I react much more intensely to you, but I am usually in a position where I am better equipped to hide it. I never wanted to make you feel pressured or uncomfortable. When I make you leave the library before me, it allows me to recover from my reaction. When we are on patrol together and you stop to lean out a window, I need to walk a few steps behind you for a while. I gave in to a stupid impulse, for the briefest of moments. Stella took advantage of the information she gained, and exploited it. Her intention was to separate you and I, and she did. Since that night she has not even said my name unless you are nearby. She wanted to hurt you, and invoke your distrust for me. She needed to see us separated. While her parents have converted much as mine did, her grandparents are still alive and continue to extol their pureblood rubbish."

"Why didn't you tell me as soon as it happened? You kept it from me, and let me hear it from her. You helped her facilitate her plan when you did not tell me what happened!" Rose exclaimed.

"I should have told you, but I thought it would blow over. Not for a moment did entertain the notion that you would believe her." He lamented as he hung his head.

"So you chose the coward's way out. Never mind that from what I saw, there was more physical 'reaction' in that short interaction with her than you have ever shown with me. And I not once did I ever tell you not to 'react' to me, or to handle me like glass. What makes you think that I actually wanted that from you?" Her tears had been replaced by frustrated anger.

He stared at her in silence for a long moment, before he finally chose to show her exactly how he reacted to her. Before he could talk himself out of it, he pulled her to him by the shoulders and was only a breath from her lips when he whispered, "Let me show you the truth?"

Rose could only utter a squeak of surprise as he took control of her lips in a way that he had never done before. The soft caresses and tentative pecks that she had grown accustomed were nothing compared to this... hunger. His ever present control was replaced by a desperation and need that she had never thought possible.

His teeth grazed her bottom lip, eliciting a gasp and involuntary moan from Rose, signifying the termination of his self control. He was only vaguely aware the fact that he began to shift them forward, and of his arms guiding her back to the cushions. Scorpius could not allow himself to truly think about the situation, for he did not want his conscience to override his instincts. He had promised to show her his true reaction, which meant there was no going back now.

He revelled in the warm, wet softness of her tongue as it stroked his, and allowed his body to respond to the sensations. He reluctantly broke their connection and opened his eyes to look at her. Her cheeks were flushed and breath was laboured as Rose's eyes fluttered open to gaze at his own. "Rose, please forgive me, I don't think I coul..." His plea for forgiveness was silenced by four small, delicate fingers.

"Just show me." She whispered, slightly nervous yet confident. She brushed her fingers across his lips before she removed them and slid her hands into his thick blond hair. He nodded slowly, but chose not to devour her luscious mouth once again. Instead he ran a slender finger behind her ear, along her throat, and down her neck until the first button of her top impeded his progress. He looked into her eyes again and she arched to him, inviting him to continue. His lips quirked at her reaction, while his thumb and forefinger made short work of the buttons on her blouse. When he made no attempt to remove the shirt, she looked at him questioningly. Instead he traced the thin line of exposed skin slowly, and with each pass the white cotton shirt opened just a little more.

Rose's eyes fluttered shut again. She took a slow deep breath in with each decent of his fingers, and exhaled as his palm slid over her stomach and traced the contours of her lace-covered chest. It was a sensation unlike anything she had imagined, but before she could become to used to it she felt the light pressure of his lips against her throat. She jumped slightly at the shift, but quickly found that she enjoyed this form of attention even more. Just as she settled into the warm massage of his ministrations against her skin, she felt the sharp jolt of his teeth on skin and she couldn't stop the yelp of surprise. He blew cool air over the reddening marks, and watched her dark eyelashes drift closed again.

As he gave himself over further to his instincts, he continued the pattern kiss, nip and soothe down over the swell of her breasts and down the flat expanse of her stomach. Each bite was met with a hiss from the sting, and each rush of cool air was rewarded with a soft throaty sound… which he was certain was the only sound he ever wanted to hear again.

Rose's hips lifted to meet him as he feathered one finger along the waist band of her skirt. He glanced up once more to see her as she looked down at him with curiosity and need in her eyes. The storm clouds had been driven away by bright sunshine, and the eagerness and brilliance behind her eyes made him smile softly.

He pulled himself to his knees, her legs still bent around him. He was convinced that there was nothing more beautiful than Rose Weasley with heavy-lidded blue eyes, her porcelain skin flushed with excitement and marred by his delicate and most enjoyable handiwork. "Perfect," he whispered, and as her face flushed deeper his trousers grew even tighter. He wanted to spend countless hours just as they were, allowing him a chance at exploring every inch of her soft, forgiving flesh. Though he could not be sure how long he would survive that delicious torture, after he had waited so long himself just to reach this point. As his hands ran over her thighs, he started when he felt them fall open even more. His palms slid slowly around her thighs to pull them closer to him again, and when they slid further up and crossed under the hem of her skirt, he knew there was no going back for him. Scorpius would not survive another day if he did not have her.

Rose watched him carefully through her lashes, and couldn't help but blush when he called her perfect. She revelled in the feel his skin, rough and strong from gripping a broomstick and a beaters bat. Though as his hands ascended beneath her skirt, she realised that her entire world was about to change. She was ready for it to change, and felt that she needed to help it along. Rose's delicate fingers tentatively reached out to release the tails of his oxford shirt from his trousers. Her fingers shook slightly as they pulled each button free. She ghosted her fingers down his chest and over his stomach in random patterns, and once she reached the button of his trousers, her hands were quite steady.

Scorpius's hands had tightened their grip on the skin along her hips as she carefully caressed him. When he felt her tug the zip of his trousers, he lowered his hands to her skirt in order to remove the thin cotton that was in his way. He pulled himself together long enough to slide the zip of her skirt down, and as he backed away slightly in order to remove both her skirt and knickers. The slow pace was nearly torture to him. However, once he was able to gaze upon what would surely become his obsession in all her glory, he was left only with his own pain from the strain against his pants. Her excitement created gave her an almost ethereal glow, and then he was certain that he was dying then and there. He tossed the last of her offending garments aside, and he shifted to divest himself of what was left of his own clothing.

As Rose watched his eyes devour her body, it only accelerated her heart beat and strengthened her need for him. When his trousers and pants fell to the ground, she gasped before she could stop herself. As he crawled back across the cushions towards her, she tensed in both fear and anticipation. He kissed her again, and this time it was the familiar soft, cautious kisses they had always shared in what felt like a lifetime ago and she relaxed beneath him. She felt his skin against hers, and the hard warmth of his need as he pressed against her. She wrapped her legs around his hips again, and even as he deepened the kiss, she felt the need for more. She had been so terrified of this moment, but now that they were here, it was all she could do not to beg him for more.

Scorpius lost himself in the feel of her bare skin against his, and allowed to gain an edge in the hastened battle with their tongues. When she lifted her hips to press into his, he broke free from her mouth and buried his face in her neck. It took him several long moments to regain his composure. It would not do to lose control, especially not now that he almost had what he had wanted for so long. He looked into her eyes, and asked quietly, "Have I proved that only you can earn my true reactions?"

"Please…" It was the only word she could find the will to say, as she her nails into his shoulders. It was pleading, it was wanton, and it very nearly broke his control.

He pulled himself up on his arms to look into her eyes, because even though he wanted this more than life itself, he also needed to know that she felt the same way. He held her gaze for what felt like an eternity, even while she tried to pull him closer with her legs. When he finally regained the ability to speak, it was in quiet and measured tones that he asked, "Are you sure? We don't hav..."

And so the witch cut him off again, her eyes piercing into his. "Scorpius... Please."

Her breathy response was the only thing he needed to hear, though the way she moaned his name nearly caused him to lose total control. He held onto what small modicum of his sanity he had left, because he knew that if he wasn't perfectly in control of what happened next, his name would be said again pain and not pleasure. He closed the distance between their mouths again and tried to distract her with another heated kiss as he pushed into her gently. He felt her face wince at the sensation and as he pushed harder and further in, there was no way to mistake the pained choke that caught in her throat. He stayed perfectly still, stroking her face and holding it gently in hands and whispering into her ear. "I'm sorry, I tried... I'm so sorry Rose... I love you."

She had never imagined that it could hurt like this, and as she choked back the sob of pain, Rose held onto him as hard as she could. She knew it would pass, and that she couldn't let him stop now. She listened as he apologised profusely. As the pain slowly eased to a dull ache, she heard him say, "I love you." She couldn't stop her own reaction as she rocked her hips against him. "Prove it," she breathed.

The ache had not completely dissipated, but each time he pulled back and slowly entered her again, it changed and she moved with him. Her skin felt every contraction of his muscles against her, and she heard his every breath and soft groans as if he'd cast a "Sonorus." She swore he even smelled more enticing than he ever had, and as she kissed his neck it left an exquisite salty taste on her lips. With each thrust of his hips, his movements got just a little faster, and she felt something begin to rise within her. It started deep inside of her, in exactly the spot he was pushing harder and harder into. It washed up through her belly and she could feel the blood as it rushed up over her chest and neck. She had lost all power of speech, the only thing she could do was pant and moan.

Scorpius watched each change in her face, and as he felt her start to contract around him, he knew that all hope of holding on would be gone soon. "Rose, open your eyes." Her hands ran up his chest to rest on his shoulders, and she opened her eyes slowly. When her darkened blue eyes caught his gaze, he could only hope that she could see the want and need reflected in his eyes. He wanted her to see what she did to him, as he watched her. He took hold of her hip, and tightened his fingers over her sweaty skin. Without taking his eyes off of hers, he pushed into her one last time, pulling her against him so tightly he was sure it had hurt her.

When Rose opened her eyes and saw the sparkle in his darkened navy eyes, the warmth that was spreading throughout her body rapidly became a raging heat, and she had to fight to keep her eyes open. She felt his hands tighten on her side, and even though it should have hurt her, it only made the fire spread that much faster. She felt his release and that pushed her even further into her own. She moaned at the sheer overload of feeling, saying his name over and over again.

He leaned down to kiss her again as her body shook from the instant cooling effect the air had on her spent body. He shifted his weight from on top of her and pulled her over to lay her head on his chest. As she lay quietly, listening to his heart fall back into a normal rhythm, she couldn't hold in the smile.

He felt her cheeks lift as the smile crossed her face, and he had to give in to one of his own in response. "What is it that has you so happy, Ms. Weasley?" he teased.

She turned her face up to him, the faint hint of a smile still gracing her lips. "Nothing really, just that I love you."

Before he could stop himself, a smirk that could rival his Father's found its way onto his face, and simply said, "Prove it."

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A/N: This is my first Rose/Scorpius, and I must say it was fun. Thank You MUCH to my BETA Linthelde, Extol!!! I love it. It was a gift for an exchange on Live Journal for Moriggane13.

Reviews are nice, ConCrit is LOVED.


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